Heel attachment for military shoes



Dec. 16, 1941. TE 2,266281 HEEL ATTACHMENT FOR MILITARY S HOES Filed May 23, 1941 Patented Dec. 16, 1941 1:1: -.:1..--

near. ATTACHMENT :Foa MlLITARY sHo-Es Leon .1. Shuts, Detroit, Mich. V 1 Application May 23, 19 11, Serial No. 394,742

10 Claims.

This invention relates to a heel attachment for military shoes. a

A soldier when coming to attention brings the heels together so that the feet make an angle of 45 to one another. A well trained soldier aims to click the heels in coming to attention. However, military shoes nowadays areinvariably fitted with rubber heels and much of the snappiness connected with the clicking of the heels in coming to attention is lost because there is virtually no sound connected with the bringing together of such heels. It is therefore the principal object of my invention to provide: projecting cleats attached to the adjacent inner sides 'of theheels of a pair of military shoes arranged to come into contact with one another as the heels are brought together and thus produce the desired results-a click or snap.

Another object of the invention is to provide heel attachment cleats for the purpose mentioned which project outwardly enough to protect the uppers by preventing contact thereof when the heels are brought together, the cleats being preferably of a heavy sheet metal for durability and being moreover preferably reversible end for end so that when they have become worn from usage in one position they may be reversed for further usage in the new position.

In accordance with another object of my invention, the cleats are stamped from sheet metal so as to provide hollow projecting elongated boss portions for bumpers while the generally flat base portion provides the attaching webs or flanges, this construction having the advantage of lightness and cheapness and easyconformability to the shape of the heel. The hollow sound produced in the clicking of these cleats is also considered preferable to any distinctly metallic sound that might be obtained with solid metallic bumpers.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a bottom view of a pair of military shoes in the position of attention, the heels of the shoes being equipped with the attachment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary rear view on substantially full scale showing the cleats in vertical section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the heel portion of the left shoe looking at the cleat;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional detail on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing a modified or alternative construction.

s. Li

Similar reference numerals are applied to cor,- responding partsthroughout the views.

Referring to Fig. l, the numerals 6 and l designatea pair of military shoes having rubber heels 3. Attached to the out-sole 9 of each shoe; in

accordance'with my invention, is a cleat or click plate it! having elongated hollow bosses H and I2 struck therefrom to serve as bumpers,--which, when the heels are brought together in the position of attention, will strike one another, as illustrated in Fig. 1, thus producing a distinctly audible click or snap'in contrast to a. dull and hardly audible thud, due to the sounddeadening 'efiect of the rubber heels. In other words; these cleats H) are intended: to produce a similar sound .efiect as the clicking of leather heels with a View .to improving the snappiness of military drill. The bumpers, as indicated in Fig. -3,. provide bumper surfaces in a substantially verticalplane in outwardly spaced relation to the counters of the shoes, thus protecting the shoes from Wear and tear by preventing contact of. the counters in the clicking of theheels. The bumpers H. and 52 on each cleat are in longitudinally spaced relation, as indicated at I3 in Figs. 3 and 4, so that .a brad or nail l4 may be entered through an opening l5 provided in the intermediate connecting web portion it to fasten the cleat to the outsole 9 on the inner side of the shoe at about the middle-of the side curvature of the heel. Once the cleat has been fastened at this mid-point, it is then a simple matter to bend the opposite end portions to conform the cleat to the curvature of the heel when another brad or nail H can be .entered through a hole [8 in the front end of the cleat and still another brad or nail [9 can be entered through anotherhole 20 in the rear end of the cleat to fasten the same securely to the out-sole 9. Only one set of holes l5, l8, andZi! is required ineach cleat. The cleats may be. reversed end for end after they are worn to acertain extent, the cleat used on the left shoe when reversed being usable on the right shoe, and vice versa, so that whereas the bumpers H are in the forward position at first, the bumpers l2 will in the reversed position be in the forward position. In that way, the partly Worn cleats may be used still further. The fact that the cleats may be stamped or rolled from sheet metal to the form illustrated makes them available at a low price. With this sheet metal construction, the cleats have the desired lightness and durability. Any suitable rust resistant dull or dark finished metal may be used. The hollow bosses providing the bumpers" and I2 are preferred to solid metallic bosses, because the sound produced in the clicking of these together does not have an objectionable metallic ring.

I In Fig. I have shown a modified or alternative construction in which the cleats Illa are stamped from sheet metal like the cleats II], but have bosses |2a struck therefrom to a smaller elevation than the bosses II and I2, previously described, and provided with longitudinally extending openings 2| for the projection of reduced bumper portions 22 on flanged bumper blocks 23 of fiber or any other suitable hard, non-metallic, wear resistant material. Leather may be found suitable for the purpose. The marginal flanges 24 on the base portions of the bumper blocks 23 are confined in the bosses 12a when the cleats Illa. are secured to the edge of the out-soles 9. It is understood that the cleats Ilia are otherwise of the same dimensions and construction as the cleats I0, previously described, and are arranged to be fastened to the heel portions of a pair of military shoes in the same or a similar manner as by means of brads or nails l4, l1 and I9, as shown in Fig. 4. With this construction, the user may replace the worn bumper blocks and thus realize a saving over the replacement of the entire heel attachment.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims have been drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim:

1. An attachment for the heels of a pair of military shoes comprising asheet metal plate for each of said shoes having a generally rectangular body portion disposed in a substantially vertical plane on the inner side of the shoe heel and suitably secured in place thereon below the counter, said plate having a bumper portion projecting from the body portion laterally with respect to the heel and presenting a bumper surface in a substantially vertical plane in outwardly spaced relation to the counter.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1, wherein the bumper portion comprises a hollow portion of the body struck outwardly from the lane of the body portion and defining the bumper surface on the outer side thereof.

3. The invention set forth in claim 1, wherein each of a pair of said plates has a pair of longitudinally spaced elongated bumper portions projecting therefrom, the said plates being secured to the heels so that the bumper portions on the plates come into contact when the heels are brought together at a position of approximately forty-five degrees with respect to one another, said plates being removable and interchangeable to reverse the positions of the bumper portions with respect to the heels front to back, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. As an article of manufacture, a heel attachment plate for military shoes comprising a generally rectangular plate having an elongated generally rectangular boss [projecting therefrom, presenting on its outer face a bumper surface in a plane in outwardly spaced substantially parallel relation to the plane of the plate.

5. As an article of manufacture, a heel attachment plate for military shoes comprising a generally rectangular plate having a pair of aligned, elongated, generally rectangular bosses projecting therefrom in longitudinally spaced relation to one another, each of said bosses presenting on its outer face a bumper surface in a plane in outwardly spaced substantially parallel relation to the plane of the plate.

6. As an article of manufacture, a heel attachment plate for military shoes comprising a generally rectangular sheet metal plate having bent therefrom a hollow, elongated, generally rectangular boss, presenting on its outer face a bumper surface in a plane in outwardly spaced substantially parallel relation to the plane of the plate.

'7. As an article of manufacture, a heel attachment plate for military shoes comprising a generally rectangular sheet metal plate having bent therefrom a pair of hollow, elongated, generally rectangular bosses in longitudinally spaced relation to one another, each of said bosses presenting on its outer face a bumper surface in a plane in outwardly spaced substantially parallel relation to the plane of the plate.

8. A heel click attachment for rubber heeled military shoes comprising a bumpersecured to the out-sole on the inner side of the shoe at the heel and projecting outwardly so as to present a bumper surface in a substantially vertical plane in outwardly spaced relation to the counter.

9. A heel click attachment for military shoes comprising a bumper secured to the heel portion of the shoe on the inner side thereof and projecting outwardly so as to present a bumper surface in a substantially vertical plane in outwardly spaced relation to the counter. Y

10. A heel click attachment for military shoes comprising, in combination, an elongated bumper block having a relatively narrow bumper portion presenting a bumper surface on the outer face thereof, and a relatively wider flanged attaching portion, and an attaching plate comprising an attaching portion and a hollow bossportion for detachably receiving therein the flanged attaching portion of the bumper block, said boss portion having an opening provided therein through which the narrower bumper portion of said block is adapted to project when the block is secured by means of said attaching plate to the heel of a shoe.

LEON J. SHUTE. 

